keep quiet

idiom

: to not say anything or make any noise

He thought about telling the police what he knew, but he decided to keep quiet.

Please keep quiet during the movie.

: to not say anything about (something)

She kept her plans quiet.

: to prevent (someone or something) from making noise

She gave the dog a bone to keep him quiet.

: to prevent (someone) from revealing information about something

They paid money to the witness to keep him quiet.

Examples of keep quiet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The attorney told us to keep quiet about the drugs, don’t answer any questions other than the car theft, and if directly asked about the drugs, to refer the questions to him. —

R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024 After winning, Robinson had to keep quiet about that as well. —

Nate Rau, Axios, 9 Aug. 2024 But Woods said that he was told to keep quiet about his involvement because of his political support for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump. —

EW.com, 26 July 2024 Remember to keep quiet during any announcements so that other passengers can hear about any delays or changes to the route. —

Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for keep quiet

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'keep quiet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.